A small French company is producing electric bikes for trial events, and has been selling them all over the world.

For those who don’t know the sport of motorcycle trial, it is a non-speed event where competitors ride an obstacle course and avoid touching the ground with their feet. Trial requires fine throttle, balance and machine control, which explains why the bikes are very lightweight and are ridden standing up (they lack seating).

They seem therefore to be the perfect bikes to be electrified. Electric Motion (EM), a small start-up near Montpellier, in the south of France, released the EM 5.7 in 2012. As of today, EM has sold more than 200 bikes, mostly in Europe but also in Asia and North America, through a network of importers. According to Philippe Aresten, the founder of EM, a dozen have been sold in the US, through the American importer, six-time National Trial Champion, Ryan Young.

The EM 5.7 weighs only 70 kg (154 lb), and has a 5 kW (10 kW peak power) brushless motor with 16 Nm (20 Nm peak power) of torque. Four mappings are available: Novice, Trek, Wet Trial and Dry Trial. Top speed is 55 km (34 mph), and its removable 1.2 kWh lithium polymer battery is good for a time range of 50 to 150 minutes. A 15 Amp charger allows for a one-hour charging time. The bike comes in green, orange, blue or yellow.

The EM 5.7 is leading the 2014 French Trial Championship in its category, and most bikes have been sold to active trial competitors. But Philippe Areston can see the bike’s potential as an all-around off-road motorcycle that can be used in nature while emitting no noise and no air pollution. Electric Motion’s short-term strategy is to expand into the off-road market while keeping its low prices, and plans to build 500 bikes in 2016.

The video below illustrates what that market could look like, with a bored teenager going for a ride on his EM 5.7…